Warning: Please Don't Eat This Spicy Article
By Ilene Proctor
There may not be a trip around the world in your future, but Spice Station is as close as you can get without crossing the continents. And what's more, you don't have to cash in a CD to enjoy the spicy experience .
Quite frankly, something smelly is going down in Silverlake, 3RD Street Farmer's Market – and it's wonderful. It's a whole new world of flavor and aroma emanating from a new concept store called Spice Station. The stores are an inspired blend of T and A – taste and artistry. Owner Peter Bahlawanian and wife Bronwen Tawse and co-owner Ilene Proctor have virtually travelled the earth to discover the most exotic and eclectic spices on the planet. 50% of the spices are organic, and none are irradiated. All are tagged with exact information.
A well-planned meal is one of life's greatest pleasures. Imagine choosing from an abundance of 300 exotic spices, herbs, salts, peppercorns and chilies, which are available by the ounce, quarter-pound or pound, including pungent Indian Fenugreek, Indian Urfa Biber, Argentinean coriander, Egyptian dill weed, Syrian Aleppo pepper, Indonesian nutmeg and Szechuan peppercorns. Spice Station has all sorts of rare gems, from black lava salt, which boasts a strong minerality, to the pungent, smoky Chinese Tepin chile.. Root beer fanatics are flocking to the store to buy sassafras leaves for those who want to make their own. For spice cognoscenti, there's a world of difference between paprika from Spain and a paprika from Peru..."I get people who walk in here with eyes wide open who have been looking for these things for ages," Peter says.
There's also a dazzling lineup of natural cane sugars flavored with ingredients like cinnamon, ginger and raspberry. Peter's also sourcing more chilies from Mexico, Peru, Brazil and the Middle East. He's has also trained his staff to blend spices, so he's added options like a salt-free blend and a "high desert blend" for tacos and fajitas. The staple spice remains harissa, which has "Moroccan elements for full bodied flavor." He recommends using the spice to season meat, chicken or ground beef sliders.
One can write a sonnet just aboutSpice Station's unfamiliar exotic teas, like black Asian Apricot, Moroccan Nights, and Chai of every color and taste. Wishful thinning? Just ask Peter to blend one of his great Ginger mixed tea combos.
To grind your own, there are mortars and pestles. And rub your chicken, fish and meats the Spice Station way with Shawarma Rub, Magic Chicken Rub, Swimming Fish Rub and Beef Kebab Rub, cost $8-10. Anyone who passes on this should have their marriage license revoked.
Colorful index cards list the price, country of origin, uses and medicinal purposes, where applicable. The spices are ground free of charge, or you can take the whole pods, berries and seeds to go or you can buy 9-tin gift sets ($45-75) in options that include salt, chilies and starter spices.Spice Station is currently selling a Holiday set that contains bay leaves, green cardamom, juniper berries, cinnamon chips, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, anise and allspice berries. This packet is designed for baking and mulling for spiced rum or cider.
Peter is also extremely shelf conscious: every spice story is packed with explanations regarding their origins, culinary possibilities, and where applicable, medicinal uses.Tall, round jars line the back wall, while the rest of the open space has sections of small spice jars with screw-tops you can open and boldly take a whiff.
"These are not the kind of spices you'll find in your grocery store," explained an employee. These are fresh spices, sold by the ounce and bagged or tinned on site for you. They'll last about a year, but should ideally be used within 6 months to capture their peak flavors and potency.. "I want to get as much variety as I can so that people can see, savor a whole new spicy world.
Bahlawanian believes that in general, people are used to paying way too much for spices. "When I started researching for this project, I started doing some pricing. People can often pay $165 a pound for basil, but you're only getting a small jar so you don't realize it. You're paying for the weight of the container and the packaging instead of actual product," he says. At his place, you can choose from a variety of qualities ranging from under $20 to $40 a pound.
The shop has small jars of every spice available so that shoppers can sniff their wares before purchasing, meanwhile educating themselves by knowledgeable sales help on the nuances of worldly seasonings. They also have personalized spice gift packages available for you last minute-shoppers priced at around $45 to $70.
Another favorite is custom masala and curry blends that will make your chicken--or even your bowl of popcorn--sing, and the staff can give you hints on how to make use of the spices. Surrender to the selection of blends for BBQ-ing or your taco-making adventures have their own section. Try the seductive and haughty dry harissa (usually a paste) from Morocco, smoky and brick-red with more diverse applications than the typical use in couscous, while the tantalizing black truffle salt is an intense and luxurious whiff promising bountiful flavor returns, they suggest you sprinkle on eggs or mac and cheese. The Spice Station also has pre-assembled kits, like a Baker's Set, or a Basic set, but you can put together original gift sets, too, like the couple assembling a salt-and-peppercorn set to gift to a lucky friend.
Peter is a recycle master, the entire store is constructed from reclaimed wood, and the displays are former pallets.
In just its short life, Spice Station the Silverlake has inspired so many home cooks and professional chefs, three more Spice Stations are in the planning stage by the end of this year alone. And, when celebrity chefs and food critics like Jonathan Gold, Quinn Hatfield and Evan Kleinman, and many others make Spice Stationa must, you know they are doing something right.
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